Hello, friends,

This week, Beyond the Bucket List made its entry into the world. On Tuesday, the official day of its release, I took the day off work and spent it going to places and doing things mentioned in the book, including making a candle, which Dell does with her sister, and walking at Inniswood Metro Gardens, one of the places where Dell takes senior pictures. Then on Saturday, Cover to Cover Children’s Books hosted my first launch event, and afterwards, I had some friends and family back to my apartment to continue celebrating.

At one point yesterday, I was talking with the wife of an author friend of mine. She said that whenever her husband feels frustrated by the writerly things we sometimes get frustrated by (low sales, lack of engagement, etc), she encourages him to reflect on what his younger self would think about his current success—he has books on shelves in bookstores! How cool is that?!

I remember when I was new to Columbus and first learned about Cover to Cover. A bookstore dedicated to books for children and teens? Yes, please! I was so excited to visit, and it’s been one of my happy places ever since, for probably close to 20 years now. And I’ve now gotten to be the author at a book event there and have my book on their shelves twice. For early-20s me, this is absolutely my dream come true.

I read and hear sometimes about people who achieve their dreams, those who are successful by traditional measures, and yet who don’t feel fulfilled. Maybe it’s because they were chasing a dream that wasn’t really theirs or maybe it’s because the reality didn’t live up to the expectation they had created in their mind. But sometimes I think it’s because they don’t stop to enjoy it—as soon as one goal is achieved, they’re off to the races again and working on the next one.

So, I’m making sure to bask. No matter what happens with this book—regardless of how many copies it sells or whether it wins any awards, separate from how many people read it or what they say about it on social media—it’s out there. I have two books with my name on the cover that people can find in (some) bookstores and online, and I am fortunate enough to have spent this week with people who mean so much to me who shared my joy and showered me with love and support.

Basking in the joy is the antidote to taking this for granted. Basking deepens and extends the joy. Just like sometimes we need to wallow, we also need to bask. We see wallowing depicted more often—characters in TV shows, movies, or books eating a pint of ice cream after a breakup, getting drunk after losing their job, refusing to leave the house after a setback with a dream. Maybe it makes for less engaging entertainment to watch a character gather their friends and family to celebrate their accomplishments, but we need to luxuriate in the good times too.

I’m a fan of celebrating anything and everything. Especially with writing, where there’s so much rejection, let’s celebrate finishing a first draft or receiving a personalized rejection or getting that elusive acceptance email, and certainly seeing your book baby out in the world.

I am tremendously grateful to have the opportunity to bask in the realization of a dream I’ve had for as long as I can remember, and I am equally grateful for people by my side who’ve shared in the basking. My heart is full.

Warmly,

Brie

P.S. What joys have you experienced that you basked in?